Having a Backup Plan

Written by Alex Bolten

Have you ever planned anything that went exactly the way that you hoped it would? What about something that didn’t go quite as planned? What did you do in that situation?

When you’re on your career journey and trying to map out your future, it’s important to be aware of the fact that not everything will go as you have planned. You may project that you’ll be in a certain field by a certain date for an allotted amount of years. This may not be the case, however, in your situation. You need to be prepared for an alternative path.

So long as you have a backup plan, you should be fine. Your career journey should function like a flow chart: going from step A to step B, and then from B to either step C or D. If you did not have a backup, you’d most likely just get frustrated and prevent yourself from excelling.

The important thing is to allow yourself to have options, should things go awry, and to remember to use those options. Maybe you don’t get the exact job you want after graduation. What do you do? Do you get angry and pout or do you look for an alternative solution? There are probably multiple other jobs that you’re qualified for and can apply for. Remember to use the flow chart method.

At each stage in your career path, you need to have an alternative backup plan. The more you have, the more prepared you’ll be to face opposition, should it present itself to you. Unless you plan ahead, you’ll get nowhere and only make things worse for yourself. A strong backup plan will relieve your stress so that you can focus on other things.

Sometimes, you may overthink the different routes that your journey may take, and that’s okay. The more prepared you are, the better off you’ll be. As the old saying goes, “better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” The more initial planning for your career journey, the further you will go and the more prepared you will be for the great unknown that is the future.